Catholics worshippers attend dawn masses in build up to Christmas

(16 Dec 2006) SHOTLIST 1. Wide of exterior of Saint John the Baptist Church, with audio of church bell ringing 2. Close-up of bell tower 3. Wide of crowd attending Mass inside church 4. Wide of priest at altar 5. Wide of Mass 6. Mid of people at Mass 7. Close-up of sleeping baby 8. Various of people at mass 9. Mid of priest consecrating host 10. Wide of crowd outside church courtyard 11. SOUNDBITE (Tagalog) Hermie Hortillano, Catholic woman: "During the 'misa de gallo', we are waiting for the birth of Christ so he can save us from our sins, and save us from the hardships of life." 12. Mid of band playing in front of church 13. Pan left to right of band playing STORYLINE Thousands of Roman Catholic worshippers gathered early on Saturday morning for Christmas dawn church services, known as "misa de gallo", a series of dawn masses held for nine days across the country and culminating on December 25. At Saint John Baptist church in Manila, the "misa de gallo" was attended by a huge crowd which extended outside the churchyard. "During the 'misa de gallo', we are waiting for the birth of Christ so he can save us from our sins, and save us from the hardships of life," said Hermie Hortillano, a worshipper who attended the Mass. This religious tradition was introduced in the mid-16th century during the early years of Christianity in the Philippines. Back then, Spanish friars held nine days of masses in preparation for the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day. These masses were celebrated in the early morning hours so the natives, who were mostly farmers, could attend them before leaving for work. The Philippines are Asia's largest Catholic nation. Catholicism was introduced in the Philippines by the Spaniards during their three-century colonisation of the country. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...